21 Must-Have Web Site Elements

Your Web site should be the cornerstone of your client seduction efforts. The site is your silent salesperson -- the one with whom prospective clients visit before granting you permission to meet with them.

A top priority for any firm that competes in the professional services or technology space is to create an easy-to-update Web site that demonstrates your competence. As the Internet matures, content is slowly becoming more important, but it's amazing how many sites for such firms simply assert how great the company is, rather than helping prospective clients.

According to our best-practices research, the three most common client seduction Web site errors are: sites that are too busy; sites that feature little more than lengthy company histories and other information important to the company itself; and worst of all, a site devoid of meaningful, useful, how-to information. Without how-to information, a Web site is just a glorified electronic brochure. Client seduction is defined as the art of wooing and winning clients by giving away valuable information.

From a best-practices standpoint, here are 21 must-have elements for a superior Web site that begins the client seduction dance:

1. A clear positioning statement. Tell prospective clients, in as few words as possible, what you do, whom you do it for and what results you achieve. If you have a proprietary process or an extraordinary guarantee, this is the time and place to mention it.

2. Free resources. The key to earning your prospective clients' trust is to demonstrate that you know how to solve their problems in general. They will hire you to solve specific problems. With that key fact in mind, your Web site should be filled with how-to articles, white papers and special reports that give away valuable information.

3. Declare your specialization. The No. 1 attribute prospective clients hunt for is specialization, so put yours right up front. No successful small firm is "all things to all people"; figure out who you serve, and how, and put that information on the front page. Be sure also to describe the outcomes you achieve, such as decreased costs or increased revenues.

4. Mission and philosophy. According to our focus groups, you should include a mission statement, but keep it short and meaningful. Clients say they don't really care that much about mission statements, but if you can use one to further differentiate yourself, it's a good idea to do so.

5. Contact information. Don't make your prospective clients work to find you. Put your phone number on every page. Make it easy for prospective clients to e-mail you with requests for more information or a meeting. And definitely consolidate all of your contact information on one page, including address, fax numbers, and so on.

6. Map and driving directions. If prospects ever visit your location, then you must include a map and driving directions to your office. This will not only save you time, but is also another reason to have prospective clients poking around your Web site.

7. E-mail subscription link. Forrester Research studies show that converting prospects into clients via e-mail is 20 times more cost-effective than using direct mail. Once you capture their e-mail, why waste first-class postage? Offer prospective clients solid reasons for giving you permission to e-mail them: free reports, studies, white papers or notifications of key Web site updates. And of course, state clearly that subscribers can easily opt out of your list whenever they want.

8. On-demand materials (PDF). What happens if a prospective client wants to tell someone else about you? The problem with a beautiful Web site is that is usually doesn't look so beautiful when the pages are printed. The way around this is to offer professionally designed PDFs, readable with the free Acrobat Reader. But don't just offer a standard capabilities brochure; we recommend your menu has a how-to guide or tips brochure that includes capabilities information.

9. Proprietary process. After specialization, clients look for a specific problem-solving process. You should create this process, name it, trademark it and describe it with reverence on your Web site.

10. Seminar information. The best lead generation topic you can employ is the seminar, briefing, workshop and/or round table discussion. Focus on the biggest problems that you solve for clients. Your Web site should prominently list upcoming seminars (to promote attendance) and past seminars (to promote your reputation as an expert).

11. Privacy policy. In a confidential business? Then by all means have a clear privacy policy that states you will never share contact information with anyone else.

12. Legal disclaimer and copyright notice. For ideas on legal disclaimers, look in the front on any nonfiction business advice book published today. You will see language that says the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service and the information is for educational purposes. And protect your intellectual property -- your site content and free resources -- by taking advantage of de facto copyright laws. Post a standard copyright notice.

13. Focus-specific information. If you are a specialist in a certain industry, like health care, then there'd better be health care information throughout the site (you don't want to look like a poser).

14. News releases. The Internet is the No. 1 research tool for journalists today, so include news releases, fact sheets, firm backgrounders and longer executive biographies in one area.

15. Public speaking. List upcoming and past speaking engagements with industry and civic groups. This promotes your reputation as an expert and will also help you garner invitations for future speaking engagements.

16. Job postings. Create positive, upbeat descriptions of the stars you attract to your firm.

17. Key employee bios. Keep these short -- 50-100 words. Longer bios belong in the news release section.

18. Client base. This can be tricky, but it's important. If it is appropriate in your field to list marquee clients, by all means do so. If this is inappropriate, then describe the types of clients you work for in general terms (e.g., "A Fortune-500 Manufacturer of Paper and Consumer Products").

19. Case studies. Our focus groups tell us most prospective clients aren't particularly interested in case studies because they believe specific cases don't apply to them and their own problems. A better approach is to take information out of a case study and turn it into a how-to article.

20. Referral mechanism. Your Web designer can easily include a feature that makes it easy for someone to refer your Web site to a friend or associate.

21. Contact mechanism. The purpose of the Web site is to let prospects check you out and then contact you. Have a device that makes it easy for them to do so.

Henry DeVries is a marketing coach and writer specializing in lead generation for professional service firms. An adjunct marketing professor at UCSD since 1984, he is the author of "Self Marketing Secrets" and the recently published "Client Seduction." Visit http://www.newclientmarketing.com or e-mail questions to henry@newclientmarketing.com.

© 2005 Henry DeVries, All rights reserved. You are free to use this material in whole or in part in pint, on a web site or in an email newsletter, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.

The attribution should read:

"By Henry DeVries of the New Client Marketing Institute. Please visit Henry's web site at http://www.newclientmarketing.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses."

---

Beyond Fear And Greed: Emotions That Sell

Fear and Greed. The stock-in-trade of sales. Appeal to them,... Read More

Online Mentorship Programs: Cash in on Your Expertise

Whether you're a former retail store owner known for your... Read More

Marketing Tips: Free First

When people think about promoting their business, the first thought... Read More

Marketing and Advertising Techniques of Super Bowl Advertisers

Each year, advertisers with super sized budgets sink millions of... Read More

Deciphering Marketing Lingo: Whats the Difference between a USP, Single Message and a Tagline?

Maybe you've heard these different marketing terms, maybe you haven't.... Read More

Your Marketing Message - Could You Wring More CASH Out Of It With This Ancient Japanese Discipline?

When it comes to your marketing message, the little things... Read More

Niches - The Path to More Profits

Hey, as business owners we CAN'T be all things for... Read More

How to Critique Your Own Yellow Page Ad

Forget what you know about your business Your goal is... Read More

Overcoming Resistances To Marketing a Practice-Part 2

In Part 1 of this article, "Resistances to Marketing a... Read More

How To Use The Og In All Of Us To Make More Money

5000 B.C. -- somewhere near a cave in MontanaOg the... Read More

Help! What Happened?

Let's be honest, when you're writing sales material for a... Read More

Time for Marketers to Clean Up Their Act!

Some years ago, a prominent Australian hi-tech company... Read More

Fair Measures Corporation

A case study in online "thinking outside the box" The... Read More

Defining Moment

Do you know your audiences? I mean really know... Read More

Business to Business Direct Mail Offers that Say Free

In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward... Read More

Medias Dirty Little Secret

I'm constantly amazed by all of the media reps from... Read More

The 5 Minute Marketing Plan

If I were to ask you right now, what marketing... Read More

Incentives For Customers? Whats New?

Lost & Found for the 21st CenturyHere in the 21st... Read More

Uncover Your Hidden Markets

Want a simple, low-cost way to boost your sales? Just... Read More

Are Corporate Awards and Corporate Gifts Beneficial for Your Business?

With the increased challenges that all companies are faced with,... Read More

Small Business Marketing; Abstract Philosophical Discussion

Our bodies work like our small businesses. They work best... Read More

So What Do You Do?

Once you have the attention of a business prospect, at... Read More

Principles of Marketing 101

Marketing results should be measured in only one way ?... Read More

How to Win a Price War

Any economics student can tell you that price is a... Read More

Small Business Marketing Tip - Get Attention and Be Remembered

We live in a world of noise ? not just... Read More

Trade Shows Are Not a Waste!

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (the trade... Read More

Dont Advertise Your Business - Market It!

Too many business owners believe that marketing their business means... Read More

Burnout

Today I want to share a question from a reader... Read More

4 Alternative Ways To Gain Lifetime Customers

You will always have more people that turn down your... Read More

Top 7 Ways to Get Your Products in the Hands of Celebrities

Celebrities are the tastemakers that drive brand awareness and usage.... Read More

What to Include in Your Marketing Plan Write-Up

For those new to marketing planning, the thought of completing... Read More

Top Five Tips for Marketing that Gets Results

When marketing your practice, as well as designing your brochure,... Read More

The Key to Success

Good business is about communication... not just what you say... Read More